


A Crack of Light

by Moriavis



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Future Fic, Gen, Grief, Hopeful Ending, M/M, soft angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-08
Updated: 2019-05-08
Packaged: 2020-02-28 12:45:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18756700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moriavis/pseuds/Moriavis
Summary: The last thing Barry Allen expected to see tonight was Leonard Snart.





	A Crack of Light

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for the Poetry_fiction challenge on Dreamwidth, although I'm months late, as usual.
> 
> Thanks to saekwha, who really helped pull my act together.

From _"Cutting Broccoli"_

And now that he's here, do you let him  
stand in the house like a newborn god,  
carrying the empty weight of sky  
in his eyes, saying nothing is irreversible.

— Tishani Doshi

~*~

Barry unlocked the front door, turned immediately to his right, and typed the deactivation code into the security panel. It beeped in acknowledgement. He shut the door behind him, leaning against it and running his hand through his hair.

Sometimes he wondered if he should sell it — this too big house and the memories inside it. 

Then he thought of Nora's bright face, the way she beamed when she visited and found her bedroom exactly the same, and he knew he wouldn't, not when it still made his little girl so happy.

Barry sucked in a deep breath and shook his head; he was teetering on the edge of a well of sadness, and he needed to find something to occupy him. 

First, lunch. Maybe he'd take it out to the backyard and sit in the grass. The silence seemed less oppressive somehow when he was outside. 

He pushed away from the door and zipped around the kitchen, piling a plate high with sandwich after sandwich, and then he grabbed a bag of potato chips, taking the whole thing out into the back yard. He chose one of the small wooden benches against the side of the house and sat, setting his plate beside him. He could've sped through his meal, but somehow the idea made him even sadder.

Once he'd finished eating, he went inside to do the dishes and found a text on his phone from Wally that read _Tag! You're it at 4!_

He relished the short run to STAR Labs; it was a good way to get out of the house and it let him shake some of his tension. The way Cisco and Caitlin smiled when they saw him made the loneliness lift a little more.

"Did you have a good visit with Nora?" Caitlin asked, and Cisco whipped around to look at her—whatever he was miming made her face turn instantly guilt-stricken, and she grimaced. "Sorry, Barry. Too soon?"

"I appreciate the solidarity, but it's okay. I promise." He straddled one of the chairs and turned when Wally zipped through the doors like he was late. He wasn't; he was exactly on time. Barry laughed a little as Wally checked his watch and then grinned like he'd beaten some kind of self-imposed time limit.

Knowing Wally, that was probably true.

Then it was time for the rundown: Mirror Master and The Top were back in Central, knocking over jewelry stores for Rosa's collection; a couple of muggings delivered to the CCPD; and three autographs signed.

Barry laughed at that. "Only three? Are you losing your touch?"

"I'm being _discerning_ ," Wally insisted. "Kids only. If I sign for everyone my hand starts cramping."

"Wow," Barry deadpanned. "I guess we know who the Speed Force loves best."

"Uh, that would be me." Wally gave Barry one of his bright smiles, and Barry nodded, conceding the point.

"Are you sure you don't want me to be on call?" Cisco asked, swinging his legs up and propping his feet on the nearest console

Barry shook his head. "Central City is in good hands."

"I've got a date with Linda, so" —Wally grabbed his clothes and darted into the other room in a flash of lightning, putting his costume on its mannequin— "wish me luck?"

"Good luck!" Caitlin said cheerfully. 

Barry grinned, reaching out and squeezing Wally's arm. "Don't worry about it, and have fun. She's awesome."

"Yeah." Wally's smile turned soft, and he shook his head. "She's really great."

"What're you sitting around with us for?" Cisco waved Wally toward the door. "You've got somewhere else to be!"

"Okay, okay!" Wally gave them a final wave and headed out the door.

"Guess that's my cue." Barry flashed into his costume and tested his earpiece before he headed out to run the streets. He and Caitlin had drawn the short straw on the evening patrol, but honestly, he'd rather be running than trying to figure out what the hell he was going to do to the fill the rest of the night. Even Police Commander Singh had dropped by to let him know he'd been working too much.

Unfortunately, the streets were mostly quiet—one home burglary for Barry and two muggings for Caitlin over the course of three hours—so they both decided to call it a night. Caitlin made sure the satellite would send them alerts if anything unusual popped up, and that left Barry exactly where he started: bored, lonely, and wondering how he was going to fill the rest of the night.

He decided to walk home instead of run, stopping by Jitters for an iced coffee. Then he stopped at a barbeque food truck for dinner.

The emptiness of the house he was returning to weighed heavier on him with each step, but then his phone buzzed, and he stopped to find that Nora had sent him a selfie from Iris' phone. She was so beautiful his heart ached.

_I love you_ , he texted back, and she responded with a bunch of sparkling emojis. Barry smiled and finished his walk back to his house. He moved on autopilot, flicking the switch for the foyer light and turning to the right to deactivate the alarm.

It wasn't set.

A surge of adrenaline swept through him, and he sparked as he flashed into the living room, skidding to a stop when he discovered the intruder wasn't even trying to hide.

Leonard Snart stood in front of Barry's mantle, and even without the parka, Barry knew the line of those shoulders, those long, dexterous fingers.

Leonard tapped the corner of one of the picture frames. "Cute kid."

The sound of his voice sent a punch of guilt into Barry's gut, even after all these years, and he stared, open-mouthed, as Leonard eased his hands into his pockets and turned to face him.

"Leo?" Barry ran a hand through his hair and grinned. "Hey, it's been a while. How's Ray? Is he still—"

Leonard frowned, offering the barest hint of a shrug. "I don't keep tabs on the Boy Scout, Barry."

Barry blinked, taking another long look at Leonard. He wasn't smiling, and he stood in a way that looked casual, although there was coiled tension in his shoulders, the way his arms were still at his sides. It wasn't Leo. Besides, Leo wouldn't have broken into Barry's house in the first place.

It was Captain Cold. _His_ Leonard Snart.

"I can't do this." The words were out of Barry's mouth almost before he could think. "Whatever help you and the Legends need, I can't do it tonight."

Leonard shook his head, and Barry couldn't stop staring; it had been a long time since Siberia, a long time since Sara and her crew had finished clearing up the anachronisms, but Leonard looked exactly the same.

Leonard smiled, a brief uptick to his mouth that faded almost as soon as it happened. "Wrong again. I've gotta admit, I thought you'd be quicker on the uptake."

Barry ran his hand through his hair again. "Are you telling me you're _alive_?"

"Surprise?"

They stared at each other, the air between them thick with… With something. It wasn't quite tension and it wasn't quite possibility, but it thrummed between them, a long sustained note of recognition.

"Why are you here?" Barry finally managed to ask, the words dragged out of his throat like he'd forgotten what language was.

Leonard averted his eyes and strolled around Barry's living room, pausing to take in the pictures of his family. "According to Gideon, the Oculus reconstituted my scattered molecules from the time stream and put me back together. Better late than never?"

"No." Barry shook his head. "I mean, why are you _here_?"

Leonard glanced at the rug, his eyelashes sweeping like a veil against his cheeks. "Central's my home. No point being back if I can't revisit my old haunts."

"Right," Barry said, dry and insincere. "Fresh off a resurrection, and you come to me. Lay it out, Snart. I'm not in the mood to play games."

Leonard shot a narrow, appraising look Barry's way. "Are you _mad_ at me?"

"I'm—I'm—" Barry whirled away from Leonard to face the window, and almost immediately spun back. "I'm _furious_. And… and _relieved_. I mourned you, I…" Barry bit down hard on his bottom lip to keep it from trembling, his eyes stinging, his entire face prickling as he struggled not to cry. "And you're just… here, like you never left. Like you never…"

Leonard took a breath, clasping his hands together and rubbing the thumb of his right hand against the pulse in his left wrist in a self-soothing tell that Barry wasn't entirely sure Leonard noticed. He took a seat in one of the chairs and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. His eyes were darker in the dim light filtering from the window, and Barry wanted to turn on the lights, wanted to strip away the shield of the night-time shadows so he could see what was really going on in Leonard's head.

"You missed me." Leonard spoke as if that was a revelation, a surprise, and Barry flushed with anger all over again.

"Of _course_ I missed you!"

"You say that like it's a given," Leonard said dryly. "We aren't friends. We used each other. So excuse me if I find it hard to believe that The Flash missed having me around."

Barry shook his head. "You helped me when no one else would. You helped me when you were the only one that could. You sacrificed yourself to save the world. You've always been better than you've given yourself credit for." Barry walked over to Leonard and reached out, his heart pounding in his chest as he tried to breathe past the awkward awareness that he always got when he wanted to touch someone he'd hardly touched before. He skimmed his fingers over Leonard's wiry hair, traced the curve of his ear. The physical proof that Leonard was there, was real, made Barry cry in earnest, and he rubbed his eyes as if that would make it stop.

"I did," Barry admitted. "For a really long time, I did."

Leonard raised his hand, his fingers curling lightly around Barry's elbow. "You asked me why I came here." Barry nodded in response, but Leonard didn't look up, too focused. "It's been a long time. Nothing is the same."

"What about Lisa?" Barry asked. "The Legends?"

Leonard shook his head once, short and sharp. "They did what they were supposed to. They moved on. I just thought that if there was anyone else who cared, it would be—"

"Me." Barry smiled, slow and sure. He patted Leonard's shoulder, ignoring the way he tensed beneath the touch. "I'm getting changed. Why don't you get some hot chocolate started? We could catch up."

Leonard shook his head again. "I should leave before your family comes home. Don't want to cause too much excitement."

"They aren't. Coming home, I mean. They are home." He shrugged. "Stay, and I'll tell you all about it."

Leonard smiled, small and brief. "I'm convinced."

Barry nodded and flashed into the bedroom—he didn't really need to change, but he thought they both needed a moment to breathe. He decided on a pair of sweats and an old STAR Labs sweatshirt and joined Leonard in the kitchen.

Leonard already had the electric kettle running, two mugs on the counter; he was sitting backwards in one of the chairs from the table, drumming his fingers against the edge of the wood.

They stayed in amiable silence until the kettle clicked, and Barry poured their drinks, reaching into another cupboard for mini marshmallows. He dropped a handful into each mug, and he earned another one of Leonard's brief, sharp smiles.

"I promised you a story, didn't I?" Barry's chest ached, but it was the familiar sadness, and he could bear it. "A meta I was fighting tracked me home. Nora, my daughter, almost got caught in the crossfire. Iris…" He took a drink of his hot chocolate. "We decided it would be safer if we weren't together."

"Condolences." Leonard wrapped his hands around his mug.

"It's just a long winded, awkward way of saying that I've got space, if you need somewhere to stay." The obvious surprise on Leonard's face was gratifying. "I know Lisa and Mick have probably offered, but I figured it couldn't hurt."

"Thank you." Leonard fell silent again, and Barry didn't see the need to fill the quiet between them. It was enough to have Leonard sitting across the table from him, to hear his breathing. 

After all the loss, the universe had finally given something back.

~*~


End file.
